The Shadows of Fire and Sand
by ShadowSaberess
Summary: It all started with that one incident. Sound are wreaking havoc and the shinobi of Fire and Sand are being framed. Ninja are going missing and their bodies are never found. Who's to say it's not one of Leaf's own? Rating will go up. R&R plz. 3 OC'S
1. Prologue

She stood there in the rain, waiting, face covered by the hood of her sweater. She let the tears flow freely, gliding ever-so slowly down her cheeks. The sword in her hand glistened with blood. Even in the moonlight one could see the tension in her shoulders. Her hand slowly opened and the sword fell to the ground. Finally, the exhaustion set in and she fell to her knees, coughing up blood, oblivious to the boy who walked up in front of her. He leaned down and pulled her up by her sweater to eye level. In the dark shadows he searched her face, but only found her pain splayed across her features.

"Kill me now Naruto," she choked out. "Spare yourself... of all the trouble... I've c-caused." Her hands grabbed his wrists as she broke into a coughing fit.

"Killing you isn't an option," Naruto said.

She groaned. "Then tell me what is, or leave me here to die."

"You know very well I have no intentions of ever letting you die," Naruto said quietly.

She coughed again, Her body shook violently.

"You don't know how strong my love for you is," he went on. She blinked in surprise. "Even the way you are now, always have been or ever will be, I'll always love you." He sighed and let her fall.

For a moment he stood there looking down at her, watching as she broke into another coughing fit and collapsed. Sighing again he knelt beside her and held her close to his chest. Her breathing was beginning to slow as she looked weakly up at him. She brought her hand up to caress his cheek, before letting it fall and slipping into unconsciousness.

Naruto leaned down and caught her lips. "Always." He picked her up and stood. "I just hope you can find room for my love in your heart." _Or what's left of it._

She groaned as he started to walk off. He only smiled and held the unconscious girl closer to him. He took note on where he found her and followed the path to The Village Hidden in then Leaves. The villagers watched him walk through the streets to the hospital. Tsunade and Sakura were already waiting for him. They led him to a vacant room where he set her down gently on the bed.

"Where did you find her?" Sakura asked.

"The Valley of the End," he replied.

"Did she do it?" Tsunade asked while tending to her wounds.

Naruto sighed and looked sadly down at his friend. "She was the only one still alive..."

"Then she had to have done it," Sakura whispered, watching Naruto trail his fingers along the girls face, brushing her red bangs out of her eyes.

Tsunade grabbed his hand and moved it away, ignoring the pained look in his eyes. "She may have been the one that ended it, but I'm not quite sure she's the one that started it. Naruto please just stay away from her."

Naruto looked up at her and frowned. "No Tsunade! She needs me! You can't keep me from being with her!"

Tsunade turned on him. "Maybe you're the one that needs her! And don't tell me what i can and can't do! Stay away from her!"

"No!" He cried. "Why do you keep doing this to me! Can't you see I love her?"

"Naruto she's a bad influence!" Tsunade half shouted. "She could be one of them for all we know!"

"Unlike you I know her better than anyone. She's not that kind of person," Naruto muttered, averting his gaze. He looked down at his friend, then turned back to Tsunade. "You can't keep me from her forever." He pushed his way past the two women and out of the hospital room.

"Naruto is right, My Lady," Sakura said. "She never really seemed like one of Orochimaru's minions. Sure she has a wretched attitude, but she never really did anything wrong."

Tsunade sighed. "Maybe you're right. Come on, I think she'll be alright. I have to talk with Naruto."

Sakura nodded and followed the older woman out of the room, glancing back at the other girl who seemed to be asleep.


	2. Chapter 1

**Dedication**

This story is dedicated especially to my bff, A.K.A MJMoonlight1

* * *

The following day was a gloomy one; the sky was gray and cloudy and the air smelled of rain. The village streets were almost empty, except for two lone ninja strolling through. Their heads moved from side to side, peeking inside the open windows of the buildings. Petrified eyes peered back at them and shrunk deeper into the shadows. Once their presences had vanished into the depth's of the buildings they moved on. But they reached the end of the village and growled in frustration.

"She's not here."

The two ninja turned to see Sakura standing in the middle of the street, facing them with a sad look on her face.

"Then where is she?" The other girl growled.

"She left," Sakura replied.

"Left where?" The boy hissed.

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know."

"Liar!" The girl snarled, lunging forward and grabbing Sakura's shirt roughly. "We know she's here! Where are you hiding her?"

"Marisa please!" Sakura gasped. "I-I dont know where she is! Honestly!"

Growling, Marisa raised her hand, claws unsheathed, ready to claw the girls' face off, before a hand caught her own.

"Your sister is not here."

Marisa snatched her hand away and released her hold on Sakura.

"Then where is she?" The other boy asked.

"How many times must it be said, Sasuke?" Naruto sighed. "She's not here."

"We had her in the hospital last night," Sakura began, "when Naruto found her at the Valley of the End. But this morning when i went to go check on her she wasn't there."

The two nodded slowly, both lost in thought.

"And she didn't leave anything behind?" Sasuke directed to Naruto.

He shook his head. "The only thing in that room was blood. Apparently she had gotten into a struggle with someone."

The siblings exchanged glances. "Show us."

Sakura and Naruto blinked, but led them to their sister's hospital room anyway.

The floors were covered in puddles of the thick gooey substance, footprints trailing over the tile. Large craters had been imprinted in the walls, as if someone had been shoved into them roughly, bloody hand prints trailing over them in random places.

They looked around in awe, then back to the door. The small window had been broken in.

Sasuke sniffed the air and snorted. "Kabuto."

Marisa scanned the bloody prints on the floor. "But none of this was his."

"How can one person lose all this blood?" Naruto murmured.

Sakura sighed. "It's possible Naruto."

"But then that means Kabuto won," he groaned. "He must have taken her back to Orochimaru."

Sasuke laid his hand on the other boys shoulder. "We'll find her Naruto. She's tough. She wont go down without a fight."

Naruto continued to stare at the floor. He placed his hand over Sasuke's and pushed it away. "I know that, but when i found her she was half dead. I just cant stop worrying about her now."

Sasuke and Marisa exchanged amused glances.

"Well then," Marisa said, "shall we start the hunt?"

Naruto looked up at her.

"For your girlfriend?" She stated rolling her eyes.

"Oh."

"Off we go then." They waved and walked out, leaving the other two to stare after them.

"Have you reported this to Tsunade yet?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded. She pulled Naruto out of the room and closed the door. "Yes, but she said until anything can be done to keep you away from this room. She's worried you'll try to do something stupid."

Naruto snorted. "Like what?"

"Like go after him."

Naruto frowned but said nothing. He turned and walked away. Sakura ran after him and directed him towards Tsunade's office.

"Come on Naruto," she said. "Tsunade wants to talk to you."

He sighed. "Fine." He let his friend take him to the hokage's office, where Tsunade was looking out the window watching the village carefully.

"So those two Uchiha's have taken off again?" She said without turning around.

"Yes Ma'am," Sakura responded.

She turned around to face them and turned to Naruto. "We'll wait on them before we send anyone out, alright?"

He hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.

"Why are you so worried about her anyway?" Tsunade asked him. She sat down in her chair and folded her hands. "She's the strongest around here."

"I know," he said. "But sometimes she can be stubborn to a point where she won't accept help from anyone unless it's forced upon her. And her siblings won't do that."

"Yes," Tsunade nodded. "She is a stubborn one, but don't you realize what a strong hold you have over her?"

They looked confused.

"She knows how you feel about her, and though she won't admit it she does feel the same," Tsunade explained. "That's why it's so hard for her to accept defeat, cause she knows she can always find comfort with you."

Naruto lowered his eyelids.

"You're a good person Naruto," Tsunade went on, smiling. "Wherever she goes you know she'll always come back to be with you. And I know I was wrong for trying to keep the two of you apart, and I do hope you can forgive me for that."

"Thanks Tsunade," he said.

There was a knock on the door. It opened and the two Uchiha siblings stepped in.

"Have you found anything?" The hokage asked.

Sasuke nodded. "He brought her back to the Valley of the End, but we lost the trail there."

Sakura crossed her arms. "What's so special about that place anyway?"

"He's building something," Marisa said.

Naruto clenched his fists. "Well let's go put an end to it then."

Sasuke barred his way. "Naruto! She's the bait! He wants you too!"

The infuriated look on Naruto's face stopped him.

"Until we can figure out what to do she'll have to stay put," Tsunade decided.

"But Tsunade!" Naruto objected. "She'll be dead by then!"

Sakura wrapped her arms around him. "Naruto, if Orochimaru is building something big he's going to wait until he has all three of you to put it to use."

Naruto crossed his arms and looked away, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Tsunade looked at him. She sighed and turned back to the siblings. "Then keep us posted on his activity. And if you can, try and get her back, but if it puts you at risk yourself leave her be for now."

They nodded and walked out.

Sakura hugged Naruto closer to her. "Raven will be fine. Trust me."

"I do," he sighed. He pushed her away and walked out.


End file.
